In a boost to the internet-centric entertainment and communication services, Hyderabad has become the country’s first city to have access to the 1 Giga(gbps)-speed wired broadband connectivity, launched by ACT Fibernet on Thursday.
The high-speed internet would mean the citizens are no longer dependent on cable TV or direct-to-home (DTH) service provider for viewing TV programmes and other content. The smart TVs, which have been in the market for a couple of years, would now be able to show the full potential of what the internet can bring to the living rooms of families.
Several global and domestic on-demand movie and entertainment content providers, including Netflix and Amazon, have been waiting for the improved internet speed so that they would be able to attract TV viewers by offering programmes in high-digital clarity.
A recent study on internet speed in India put Hyderabad on top with 6.5 Mbps download and 4.5 Mbps upload speed followed by Chennai (5.2Mbps /3Mbps), Bengaluru (2.9Mbps /1.5Mbps), Mumbai (2.2Mbps /1.0 Mbps) and Delhi (2.0Mbps/1.9Mbps).
Though India ranks second in the world in the number of internet users (462 million users), after China(731 million users), it does not figure in the top-ten list in terms of internet speed. In the top-ten list, South Korea ranks number 1, with an average internet speed of 29 Mbps, while Finland ranks 10th, with an average speed at 17.7 Mbps. India has an average speed of 2.5 Mbps. ACT Fibernet, which is claimed to be India’s largest non-telco and third-largest inernet provider, is slated to soon expand the 1Gbps wired internet services to 11 other cities.